Dispensing-cabinet.



s. WHEELER. DISPENSING CABINET. APPLICATION TILED JAN. 11,1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

2 sums-sum 1.

INVENTOR S. WHEELER.

DISPENSING CABINET. APPLIOATIOK FILED JAN.11,190B.

907,928,- Patented Dec.29,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS I SETH WHEELER, OF CASTLETON, NEW YORK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. ea. as, 1908.

Application filed. January ii, 1908. Serial at. $10,860.; i

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, SETH WHEELER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Castleton, county of Rensselaer, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing- Cabinets, of which the following is asspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in dispensin cabinets and particularly to cabinets emp oyed for dispensing one or'more sheets at a time for toilet purposes.

- My invention comprises a cabinet adapted to' contain two disconnected paper and provided with a disc arge opening'for each said package so that paper may be dispensed from one package or the other independently of each other, and entirely at the will of theuser, and my invention also consists in an indicating means visible from the exterior of the cabinet for indicating the total sup 1y remaining therein, and in certain novel details of construction and combination of parts as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In order that my invention may be fully understood ll now proceed to describe certain embodiments thereof, such as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will then point out the novel features in claims.

- In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in front elevation with certain parts broken.

away, of a cabinet constituting an embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in central. vertical transverse section therethrough. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are detail views u on an enlarged scale of the indicator cm- Fig. 7 is a detailplan view of the' oc g device employed. Fig. 8 1s a view in front elevation of a portion of a cabinet in which a modified form ofindicator is Q employed. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views u on an enlarged scale of the form of indicator employed in the cabinet illustrated in Fig. .8. Fig.1i is a detail view showing a portion of a cabinet with a further modification of the indicator. Fig. 12. is a view in front ,elevation with certain parts broken away of another embodiment of my invention. a

The cabinet comprises a rear or wall plate 20 and a box-like structure 21 pivoted thereto by means of an exteng portion ackages of 22 at the base thereof which is arranged to,

embrace a cross-rod 23 secured to lugs 24 which are constructed as a part of the wall said box-like structure, and having teeth 27 arranged to engage projections 28 upon the ,wall plate, the said latches being adapted to be engaged and operated by a removable key 29.

' The interior of the cabinet may be con veniently divided into two chambers by means of a central wall or diaphra m 30. The cabinet shown in Fig. 1 is divi ed by means of this diaphragm into two separate and distinct chambers, 31 and Ezra-each adapted to independently hold a;package of paper, the, two packages being. entirely disconnected the one from the other; The

particular class of packages for which this i cabinet is designed is'that in which the units thereof are in one or more sheets folded together and interfolded with adjacent units,

whereby theremoval of one unit will carry with it a portion of the next succeeding unit.

Acabinet for dispensing paper from packages of this description requires no dis ensing mechanism as is well understood in t 's art, for the removal of each unit from a package compels the carrying forward of such portion of t e next'succeeding unit as .to properly present the said succeeding unit for removal at the next operation. By reason of thefact that no mechanism is required, I am enabled to construct a cabinet. adapted to contain two packages, each comprismg a lar e number of sheets, all within a compass su ciently small to be practicable for commercial purposes.

. The paper is dispensed through. slots or openings 46', arranged, in the stance, between the rear or wall p ate 20 and the hinge or pivoted ortion of the box-like structure ('seeparticu arly Fig. .2), such slots resent inor openings being entirely disconnected fromeach other, or opening one into the other as may be desire In order to feed the package as a whole toward the point of discharge, I have provided weighted elements 33 and 34, each comprising a weighted portion 35 and an arm 36, the weighted portions 35 adapted to bear upon the top of the package, and the arms 36 pivoted about a common pivotal support 37. The arms 36 may be conveniently slotted as is shown at 38 whereby the weighted portion may be maintained more nearly in the center of the package than is possible where the said arms are pivoted directly about the central pin 37 instead of having such slotted connection therewith. As the packages decrease from their greatest height, the arms 3334 will tend to freely slide down upon their pivotal support until such time as the top of the packages pass the center of such pivotal support, after which there will be-a tendency for the arms to slide in the opposite direction, so that by this means the are through which the weighted portions 35 are compelled to swing is made very much flatter than it would otherwise be.

The indicator in the examples of my invention in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive comprises two disks 39 and 40, the former connected to move rotatively with the element 33 and the latter with the element 34. The arm 36 of the element 34 engages a sleeve 41 to which the disk is' secured, while the arm of the element 33 engages a sleeve 42 to which the said disk 39 is secured. The disk 39 has an o ening 43 therein through which the face of t e disk 40 may be viewed and the face of the said disk 40 is provided with a shaded portion 44 which is adapted to be brought into view through the said opening or window 43 as the disks are moved rotatively with respect to each other. When the cabinet is full as to both of its chambers 31 and 32, the disks will be in the relative positions in which they I are shown in Fig. 3, and in such position no part of the shaded portion 44 of the disk 40 will be visible. As either one or other of the packages is dispensed so that the upper portion thereof gradually lowers, a corres on ing part of the shaded portion 44 will be rought 1nto wiew either by the disk- 39 rotating in one direction or by the disk 40 rotating in the other direction as the case may be. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the chamber 32 is shown as full while the chamber 31 is nearly empty.

The indicator shows the shaded portion of disk 40 for about one half of the total length of the window 43. In the detail view in Fig. 4, the said shaded portion is displayed throughout all of the window, thereby indicating that the cabinet is entirely empty. This indicator will thus indicate, at any time, the total su ply remaining in the cabinet, and hence wi 1 so indicate to the attendant'as the sup ly needs to be renewed. It

will be noted owever, that as it is alwa s extremely unlikely that the packages will e reduced uniformly, it will follow as a matter of course that one side of the cabinet will be invariably emptied before the other. Therefore though the indicator 39 40 will always indicate to the attendant the amount of paper remaining in the cabinet, the fact that a portion of a unit is no longer displayed at one side of the cabinet will be an unfailing indication to the attendant to recharge that side. Thus the presence or absence of a protruding sheet at one side orthe other of the cabinet is itself an indication to the attendant of requirement of renewal before an entire failure of the supply. For instance, this indication may take place while one chamber of the cabinet is substantially full, in which case theindicator 39-40 would only indicate a half em ty condition of the cabinet and the atten ant may then immediately recharge the one side, or having had notice that that side is required to be recharged, may, if he prefers, allow the other side to be used from to a certain extent further before so recharging the cabinet.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown a modified form of indicator in which the rear disk 40 bears the words refill instead of the mere shaded portion, such words coming into full register with the window 43 of the disk 39 when the cabinet is empty. In this form, I have shown the arms 36 of the elements 33 34 as directly secured to the sleeves 41-42 instead of being secured thereto by means of a slotted connection as in the construction above described, it being of course understood that in either form of indicator, the arms may be connected thereto by a slotted connection, or directly connected as may be desired. In Fig. 11, I have shown the elements 33 and 34 as pivoted about different centers, and have provided each said element with a disk 4546, the former carr ing some of the letters of the word refil and the latter the remaining letters. The gradual approach of the disks to a point where the letters come in line so as to complete the word refill indicates that the cabinet is gradually becoming empty. In Fig. 12, I have shown the arms 36 as pivoted loosely about a common center 47, and in this form have shown no sight indicator of the type illustrated in the other figures by the disks 39-40. In this form of cabinet, the only indication of the contents is the presence or absence of a protruding sheet, so

that in such form whenever the attendant 7 ages.

3. A dispensing cabinet comprising means for holding two disconnected packages of paper, weighted elements each having a portion adapted to bear on a said cating means cooperative the said elements.

4. A dispensing cabinet comprising means ackage, and indiy acted upon by Y for holding two dlsconnected packages of paper, weighted elements each having a portion adaptedto bear ona said package, and indicatmg means comprising two cooperating members, each engaged and operated by a said weighted element.

5. Adlspensing cabinet comprising means Y for holding two disconnected packages of aper, an indicator comprising two indicatlng elements adapted to be gradually brought I mto register as the paper is diapensed, and means engaging the two said packages, for operating the indicating elements.

6. Adlspensin cabinet comprising means for holding two dlsconnected packages of paper, two weighted arms one, 1n engagement with each said package, said arms pivoted! with a slotted'connection about a common sup-port, and means permittin the independent withdrawal of units of eit er or both of the said ackages. a

,7. A is ensing cabinet comprising a casing divide into two chambers by means of a central wall or diaphragm, each of the said chambers adapted to independently holda package of paper, and.two weighted arms arranged to enga e the two said packa es respectively, the said central wall or diap ragm having a cut away portion and the said arms being pivoted about a common support in the said cut away portion.

SETH WHEELER.

Witnesses:

WM. A. WHEELER, SETH WHEELER, Jr. 

